Just out of curiousity's sake, how many of you are seriously considering other schools? I am remotely thinking about Michigan, though Duke has always been number one. I'd say 90% it's Duke.

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I'm 99% sure I'm going to Duke. I'm still waiting to hear from 6 other schools where I've interviewed (Duke is my first acceptance), but I can't imagine I'd choose any of them over Duke. Duke's a great school, their curriculum fits best with my goals, financial aid is better than most, and location is important to me (I live in Chapel Hill and really want to stay in the area). I would love Duke as a school no matter where it was, but the location really seals the deal.

wow, i can't believe decisions came out so quickly. i didn't get my acceptance until the email for second look, which SUCKED for about 6 days when everyone was getting theirs. i haven't been on here in a million years, but thought i'd say hi to everyone who's going to be joining! unfortunately i won't be here for 2nd look , but if there are any questions about duke, durham or what it's like the be a gay med student here, i would be glad to answer them. hope to see you in the fall!

Bah... so I just realized that my senior thesis is due the Monday right after Duke's Second Look (March 30-April 1). Man, how much does that totally suck? Not that it would keep me from going to Second Look (or at least part of it), but still.

Bah... so I just realized that my senior thesis is due the Monday right after Duke's Second Look (March 30-April 1). Man, how much does that totally suck? Not that it would keep me from going to Second Look (or at least part of it), but still.

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You'll just have to finish it early so you can really cut loose at second look.

I'm here! I keep checking the allo threads to see if there's any activity over here, but I never really have a conversation-starter... I suppose I could talk about something Duke-admissions-related like financial aid or something. However, I was doing a little research last night, and Duke isn't as generous as it seems when it comes to financial aid packages. So that's depressing, and I don't want to talk about it.

We could extol Duke's virtues or talk about second look (T-19 days!), but I think we've talked about it enough so far over in pre-allo.

How about something entirely un-Duke-related? For example, I made myself some excellent spicy basil chicken tonight, without burning either my chicken, myself, or my kitchen. Congratulate me.

I'm here! I keep checking the allo threads to see if there's any activity over here, but I never really have a conversation-starter... I suppose I could talk about something Duke-admissions-related like financial aid or something. However, I was doing a little research last night, and Duke isn't as generous as it seems when it comes to financial aid packages. So that's depressing, and I don't want to talk about it.

We could extol Duke's virtues or talk about second look (T-19 days!), but I think we've talked about it enough so far over in pre-allo.

How about something entirely un-Duke-related? For example, I made myself some excellent spicy basil chicken tonight, without burning either my chicken, myself, or my kitchen. Congratulate me.

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I know I'm totally disregarding your desire not to talk about it, but what do you mean? It seemed pretty straight forward. My only concern was that calculations of estimated family contribution would be inflated.

I know I'm totally disregarding your desire not to talk about it, but what do you mean? It seemed pretty straight forward. My only concern was that calculations of estimated family contribution would be inflated.

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Oh, it is straightforward. It's just that they say they offer a "generous financial aid package," and actually, the percentage of financial aid that is grant-derived seems larger than most. They also advertise that the average debt is only around $60,000-70,000. However, the estimated cost of attendance at Duke is slightly higher than most other schools I've visited of a similar caliber (albeit only by about a few thousand per year), and I guess that the average indebtedness statistic neglects the fact that, on average, Duke students tend to be wealthier than the average med student (there was some talk over in pre-allo awhile back).

When I was there, a couple of students mentioned that Duke is expensive (like I said, more so than other schools of its caliber), and because they only offer merit scholarships to minorities, it's a lot tougher to get merit-based aid like at WashU or Vandy. One or two people mentioned turning down offers to go to cheaper top-tier schools in favor of the great (yet pricey) awesomeness that is Duke... speaks to the school, but not to the financial aid. The MS I's wandering around here might be able to give us more insight, but I searched for "financial aid" in the Duke c/o 2010 thread from last year... looks like most of you guys didn't hit any big money, and there were several people accepted who withdrew due to the expense.

Although, on further reflection, I suppose cost of living in Durham is quite cheap.

And I think that average indebtedness is actually closer to $80,000-ish... but still. That's almost comparable to my state school's (UVA's) average indebtedness.

Oh, right, and the other thing I wanted to add was that the indebtedness is probably low because some people can get funding for their third year. But I checked the med school bulletin, and if you want to do research and can't get funding, or if you choose to do a dual-degree, it's going to cost you just as much or more than the average med school.

I'm not saying that Duke's financial aid is horrible... just not as generous as it's made out to be.

Duke's financial aid was considerably less than I had expected, but didn't end up costing me that much more than my state school, and I hope to make up the difference during 3rd year (grant money!). Duke was also not going to cost me more than Case Western, which I was also considering.

I don't know whether or not the "average indebtedness" takes into account students with scholarships and students who are not taking out loans, but I can think of 3 students off the top of my head that I know personally whose parents are either totally paying for everything or significantly contributing to their education. So my guess is that they are included, because I don't think anyone who is paying for this themselves is going to come anywhere near $70,000 for 4 years. More like $150,000+. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. If you have any specific questions about aid, feel free to PM me, but you'll probably just have to wait for your packages and see what you get.

EmbellisMaVie,
Did you really say Duke only gives merit scholarships to minorities?

There are merit scholarships offered before you enroll, and basically each year thereafter in some form, most of from named benefactors rather than directly from the school. The classic Dean's full-ride that are offered at nearly every school and also classic "if you're a second year interested in Neurology..etc" specific scholarships you'll encounter later. I think I remember one given for doing well in Anatomy. Did they give you a list during your interview? Duke has an endowment and consequently, a host of merit scholarships as well as grants-in-aid. I think the base price of Duke is high and you can petition to financial aid about your package if you feel cheated. I remember Penn giving me far less than Duke. Emory was like a power of 10 less...
Personally, I'm on good terms w/ finaid because throughout this year they've been emailing me little scholarships, (I think the largest was $6K) and continually adjust my aid report. I didn't even have to fill out an application or essay. Although there are lots of essay scholarships they post on the billboard, to be honest, I don't know anyone who really does them and recently they have been emailing out this neuro grant that hasn't been claimed. Lots of grants go unclaimed (esp. for third year) because they tend to be project or field-specific and we are slightly unmotivated to think so far in advance ). So at duke and at any school, I think you can totally find ways to fund yourself over the amount on your financial aid package if you are persistent. Also, you can petition finaid if you feel cheated, and you can compare your award from other schools, because ultimately its based on the omni-universal FASFA. Good luck.

Oh, it is straightforward. It's just that they say they offer a "generous financial aid package," and actually, the percentage of financial aid that is grant-derived seems larger than most. They also advertise that the average debt is only around $60,000-70,000. However, the estimated cost of attendance at Duke is slightly higher than most other schools I've visited of a similar caliber (albeit only by about a few thousand per year), and I guess that the average indebtedness statistic neglects the fact that, on average, Duke students tend to be wealthier than the average med student (there was some talk over in pre-allo awhile back).

When I was there, a couple of students mentioned that Duke is expensive (like I said, more so than other schools of its caliber), and because they only offer merit scholarships to minorities, it's a lot tougher to get merit-based aid like at WashU or Vandy. One or two people mentioned turning down offers to go to cheaper top-tier schools in favor of the great (yet pricey) awesomeness that is Duke... speaks to the school, but not to the financial aid. The MS I's wandering around here might be able to give us more insight, but I searched for "financial aid" in the Duke c/o 2010 thread from last year... looks like most of you guys didn't hit any big money, and there were several people accepted who withdrew due to the expense.

EmbellisMaVie,
Did you really say Duke only gives merit scholarships to minorities?

There are merit scholarships offered before you enroll, and basically each year thereafter in some form, most of from named benefactors rather than directly from the school.

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Hmm, they did give us a list and told us at my interview that they only had full-tuition merit scholarships for minorities (and three half-tuition merit scholarships for everyone), but that was only for incoming students. I guess I hadn't considered a lot of the post-matriculation scholarships. That's definitely a great opportunity and something to consider. Thanks for pointing that out!

Ok, so for more info on housing - there is a Duke housing website that Richard Wallace or someone from admissions will send you a link to. You can check that out to look at housing options or search for a roommate. If you know where you want to live, you can put up a posting yourself and find roommates. This is a good place to start.

So, your options will probably be to live in a townhouse or an apartment complex. The advantage to living in a townhouse is that rent is *usually* cheaper than living in an apartment complex, depending upon which townhouses you live in and how many roommates you have. The advantage to the apartment complexes are that they usually have shared laundry facilities that you can use if you choose not to have the machines in your apartment, and there's usually some type of (not so great) gym and maybe a pool. Depends upon where you look.

As far as apartment complexes go - I don't know a lot, maybe some of the other Duke students can chip in, but here's what I've got.
-Deerfield - fairly popular, one of the less expensive apartment complexes. I think it's about $800 for a 2 bedroom/2 bath. The bedrooms are decent sized (although one is definitely bigger than the other). Also, Duke forest is basically in your backyard and there are trails for hiking/jogging/etc. And it's really close to Duke, probably like a 3 minute drive? Definitely bike-able, if you're into that. The disadvantage is that it's down this long, dark road and it's kind of out in the forest, which I know makes some people uncomfortable at night. But I don't think they really have problems with crime at all. Has a pool and a gym.
-North Pointe - slightly more expensive than Deerfield, but not by a lot. Bedrooms (in both 2 and 3 BR) are closer in size than the ones at Deerfield and I prefer the set up better, but the living room is pretty small. Also has a pool and a gym. I think the fastest way from North Pointe to Duke is on the highway (I could be wrong about this), so it would be harder to bike.
-Alexan Place and Alexan Farms - I can never remember which is which, one is an apartment complex and the other is townhouses I think? These are really nice, but more expensive (~1000 for a 2 bedroom). Again, you'd probably take the highway to school. Maybe like a 5 minute drive to Duke.
-The Lofts - these are literally across the street from Duke. The walk from here is probably about as far as the walk from our parking garage. They are super nice but also super expensive (~1000+ for a studio).

These are the more common places that people tend to live. I know there are some other complexes that I'm missing, and I'm sure someone will fill them in at some point. If you check out this link http://www.duke.edu/web/medstudent/
there are some more reviews of the different housing available. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I can try to answer them.

alexan farms has both apartments and town houses (which i live in). it is about 1300 for a 3 br/3.5 bthr town house. that's about 400+ per person, which, coming from LA... is awesome.

also, the lofts is expensive, but that's because they have like a bajillion amenities and services (from a reservable private movie theatre to sunday brunch) that you probably won't need as a medical student (although nice to have, and if you're staying there, please feel free to invite us over)

the places that diosa listed is where the majority of people live. some buy houses too, because it's so affordable.

On housing. Do any of you have an idea whether you might buy, rent, live alone, with roommates? I'm thinking I might try to buy in year two, once I understand the area better. I have not decided about roommates. I'm a little anal about keeping the kitchen clean, knives sharp, sponges banished, which has always been a problem for me. Of course, at the same time, my room is usually a mess.

On cooking. Way to go with the chicken Embellis! I had a very successful chicken marsala a few days ago.

On housing. Do any of you have an idea whether you might buy, rent, live alone, with roommates? I'm thinking I might try to buy in year two, once I understand the area better. I have not decided about roommates. I'm a little anal about keeping the kitchen clean, knives sharp, sponges banished, which has always been a problem for me. Of course, at the same time, my room is usually a mess.

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I have no money to buy a house, although housing is supposed to be pretty cheap in Durham. If I go to Duke, I also think I'm going to try and find a roommate/roommates. I'm horribly anal about apartment things, but I think I'd find it rather lonely just by myself. Besides, it's cheaper to live with roommates.

I totally hear you on the kitchen compulsiveness. I'm exactly like that. Bathrooms, too. Whatever I do next year, I'm going to make sure I have my own bathroom. My apartmentmate is horrible about cleaning the bathroom... drives me nuts.

Of course, my room is also horribly messy, but at least is not dirty, and there's a real difference between dirty and messy. Messy, I can kind of live with (at least in my room). Dirty, never. Cleaning the kitchen/floors/bathrooms is my way of procrastinating.

Natytilly said:

On cooking. Way to go with the chicken Embellis! I had a very successful chicken marsala a few days ago.

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Congratulations! I've actually been living off of cheese omelettes and ramen noodles for the past few days... It's getting kind of nauseating, so I think it's about time for me to cook again.

Just out of curiousity's sake, how many of you are seriously considering other schools? I am remotely thinking about Michigan, though Duke has always been number one. I'd say 90% it's Duke.

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I am still waiting to here from Penn.

But right now its a toss up between Vandy and Duke (and some babies on the waitlist that may want to be nice to me in the future).

I've lived in Durham now for 5 years. If anyone has any questions about the place, feel free to ask.

Not to lead this thread on the wrong foot, but location for me is important and I kind of want to move somewhere else at this point in my life. Had I not gone to Duke for ugrad I would be going nuttier than most of you with an acceptance to such a sweet school.

there are a few things about the school that i am a bit worried about, mainly that ultra-first year.

Talking to the med students on interview day, they didn't seem to think that the first year was any more difficult than it is for peers at other medical schools. Also, I've talked to a recent Penn Med graduate, and this person loved the idea of the combined first two years into one year as Duke Med has.

Talking to the med students on interview day, they didn't seem to think that the first year was any more difficult than it is for peers at other medical schools. Also, I've talked to a recent Penn Med graduate, and this person loved the idea of the combined first two years into one year as Duke Med has.

But of course, everybody is different.

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Welp.

I know some kids that are going through duke med school / gone through duke med school now. All of them are of course doing well and handling it / done well and handled it. Admissions wouldn't grand admission to those that couldn't handle the curiculuum. And of course, Duke students match astonishingly well and score ridiculously on the step 1. They don't do well on the shelf exams though, which points to how the students sorta just self-learn to get up to speed when its USMLE time.

The thing that kind of flies under the radar is the philosophy behind teaching all the preclinical material in one condensed year. Its sort of a rinse-and-repeat cram-and-dump format. Instead of really learning the material, I think this sort of hyperlearning makes one more likely to just be solid with the material in the short-term, not letting much of the material sink in.... but just enough to grasp and go on to the next section. Im personally a little scared of this since this is what I've kinda done my whole life. For med school I want to actually learn the stuff and attempt to remember it as much as I can for the long-term (my idealistic inner-premed is talking).

Because the students they pick are very very academically qualified on average (have the highest mcat average second to washu / one of the higher gpa averages), they are able to be prepared enough to work through rotations (though arguably less confidently than peers around the nation that do them third year).

I'm not dissing DukeMed. Its awesome and Im damn privileged to have an acceptance there. Im just saying that their philosophy in reality may not be as appealling as one would think.

But god damnit a full third year for research! ARGH! or an MPH or an MSc or an MBA...

Hey guys, I'm another future duke student new to the thread. Does anyone know the dress code for second look? I vaguely recall receiving some instructions, but I could be mixing up schools. See ya this weekend.